s seabury



-(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 1'. S. SEABURY. BRBBGN LOADING CANNON. No. 514,967. Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. SEABURY. BREBGH LOADING CANNON.

Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. S. SEABURY. BREECH LOADING CANNON.

,967. Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

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Wifi/ws@ e@ @H UNITED STATES PATENT Grrrcn.

SAMUEL SEABURY, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

BREECH-LOADING CANNON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,967, dated February 20, 1894.

Application led April 22, 1893. Serial No. 471,436. (No model.)

To ctZ whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SEABURY, lientenant, United States Navy, at present residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Cannon, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to breech-loading cannon having a mutilated screw-threaded breech-block and a carrier therefor which is hinged to the breech of the cannon for the purpose of opening and closing the chamber thereof, and in which the said block is capable of turning for the purpose of engaging and disengaging the mutilated screw-thread of the block with and from a corresponding mutilated screw-thread in the bore of the cannon.

The improvement consists in the combinations hereinafter described and claimed in the breech mechanism of such a cannon whereby the construction and operation are much simplified and liability to premature discharge is obviated.

It also consists in certain novel features in the firing mechanism and in the cartridge shell extractor of such a cannon.

I will now proceed to describe the improvenient with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward pointout its novelty in claims.

Figure l is a side view of the breech parts and breech mechanism of a cannon embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same with the breech closed. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of the same corresponding with Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front view of the scar case. Fig. 5 is a front view of the sear. Fig. 6 is a rear View of the breech and breech mechanism showing the breech open. Fig. 7 is a central horizontal sectional view corresponding with Fig. 6. Fig. 8 represents an axial section of part of the breech and of the carrier and also shows the breech-block partly in section, and shows in section the device for locking the breechblock against turning in the carrier when the breech is open. Fig. 9 represents a section of parts of the breech-block and carrier at right angles to Fig. S in the line .fr showing also the locking device just mentioned. Fig. 10 is a rear view of the breech of the gun,the

breech-block and carrier and their mechanism being omitted. Fig. ll represents a central vertical section corresponding with Fig. l0.' Fig. 12 is a rear view of the carrier detached from the cannon. Fig. 13 represents a central vertical section of the carrier. Fig. 14 is a side view of the breech-block. Fig. 15 is a front view of the said block, and Fig. 16 a rear view of the same.

A is the breech of the gun.

B is the breech-block and C is the breechblock-carrier hinged to swing upward and downward on a horizontal pin D which attaches it to the lower part of the breech, the said pin passing through two vwidely spaced lugs C C on the front of the carrier and through a lug A on the breech. The carrier has also two lugs C2 C2 on its rear which contain bearings for the pin E which constitutes the fulcruni of the operating lever F F of tho breech mechanism which will presently be described.

On the lower part of the breech forward of the lugs A there is a downward projection or offset A2 the front of which is, as shown in Fig. ll, approximately square with the bore of the gun, and presenting a broad at bearing against which the carrier will be arrested and supported as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, in the horizontal position to which it comes in opening the breech.

The breech-block B consists of a short screw having its whole length threaded. The rear portion a of its screw-thread by which it is attached tothe carrier is so screwed into a corresponding screw-thread a. in the carrier as to turn therein,anil is unmutilated, except at one point c2 (Figs. 8 and il) for the reception of a locking bolt c as hereinafter explained; but the other and greater portion of the length of the screw which enters into the breech is mutilated to the extent of two quarter-.sections bybeing cutaway or attened on two opposite sides as shown at bin Figs. 6, 7, 14.-, and 15. The screw-thread b' in the breech being correspondingly mutilated,a quarter turn will properly engage the block with and disengage it from the breech. On the back of this breech-block is a rearwardly projecting slotted yoke B2 through which passes the arm F of the operating lever F F', which arm is secured in any suitable manner, as by a square ICO tit, to the portion of the fulcruin pin E which passes through it; the other arm F of the said lever, which is represented as made in the same piece with the fulcrum pin`l serving as ahandle by the manipulation of which all the operations of the breech mechanism, the cooking of the hring pin and the extraction of the discharge cartridge shells are effected. The yoke B2 above mentioned on theI back of the breech-block is represented as made in the saine piece with the breccl1-block,and is a portion of a hollow cylinder concentric with the axis of the breech-block. The forward portion of the slot d in the said yoke is straight and parallel with the axis ot the breech-block and from this front portion the slot takes a spiral form that the solid round upper end e of the arm F oi the operating lever working,r init may perform the operation of turning the block in the carrier and in the breech of the gun. The saidend e, when the arm F is in its most forward position in which the breech-block is screwed up, enters a notch c in the upper part of the rear of the carrier C and so assists in locking the breech-block as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

For the pu rpose of locking the breech-block against turning in the carrier while the said block and Acarrier are withdrawn from the breech and thereby insuring the proper rela tion between the mutilated portions of the Screw-threads of the block and breech when the block is returned for closing the breech, the locking bolt c hereinbefore mentioned (see Figs. S and 9) 4is fitted to slide back and forth in a mortise out in the interior of the carrier across its screw-thread a. This locking bolt is substantially square in transverse section as shown in Fig. 9 and is hollowed out from the rear as shown in Fig. 8 to receive a Spiral spriugc (scc Fig. 8) which abuts against the back of the niortise in the carrierand exerts a constant tendency to push forward the bolt c. The inner or under side of tho said bolt is screw-threaded to correspond with the threads on the breech and in the carrier, and while the breech is closed the front end of the said bolt bears against the breech of the gun as shown in Fig. 8, and Iis thereby held back so that the threads on the. bolt match with those of the breech and carrier and permit the turning of the breech iu the carrier to produce the engagement of the screw-threads of the block and breech to lock the breech-block for firing and to unlock it for opening; but in that part of the block which comes opposite the boltcowhen the block is turned to the position for withdrawing it from the breech there is the mutilation c2 (Figs. 9 and. 10) before mentioned. This is simply a groove cut across the screw-threads and long enough to allow the spring c', as soon as the carrier begins to be drawn back, to push the bolt so far that the screw-thread on the bolt does not match with those in the block and carrier. The block is thus prevented from turning and so is locked in the carrier during the loading ot' the gun and until by the closing up ofthe carrier after loading, the bolt is pushed back in the carrier, by its frontend coming against the breech, far enough to bring its screwthreads into matching relation with those of the block and carrier and permit the turning of the block.

elow the solid part e of the arm F of the operating lever the said arm is slotted for the passage through it of the ringpin G, tho slot being contracted as shown atf in Fig. 2, that it may constitute a guide to the flattened downwardly projecting head G of the said pin while room is left above the so contracted portion for the passage of the bodyof the firing piu. Through this contracted portion f of the lever arm is inserted and firmly fixed the transverse pin f which operates on the lower part of the head G for the purpose of cooking the said pin. The firing pin has in it a groove g to engage with the seai- J and is provided willi a collar 7L which tits the central cavity la. provided in the breech-block for the said pin and behind which the coil main spring g surrounds the said pin, the said spring being contained, as shown in Fig. 3, partly within the said central cavity and partly within a corresponding cavity in the 'box or Sear-case J within which the Sear J slides up and down across the back of the breech-block.

'lhe sliding sear .l is like that which constitutes part of the subject matter ot my United States Letters Patent N o. 474,974, dated May 17,1892, having in it a hole g2 through which the firing pin G passes and va slot 7c for the scar spring 7s. The Sear-case J is like that shown in the same patent except that, instead of being simply a straight plate within which the scar slides, it consists of a plate having on the upper part of its face a circular boss j as shown in Fig. 4 which fits acountcrbore z provided in the brocoli-block at the back of the central cavity. The lower part of the said plate J is grooved as shown atj5 in Fig. 4, to form a guide to the sear and this guide is continued in the form of amortise j in the upper part ofthe said case within or behind the bossj. The said boss j through which the firing pin passes has in front a countersunk cavity whichcomes opposite the central bore or cavity h provided in the breech-block for the firing pin and main spring, and receives a portion of the length of the main spring. The said boss j has in its outer circumference a groove indicated by the dotted lines i2 in Fig. 4, and the flange formed in front of this groove is mutilated as indicated atj3 in the same figure toforin two quadrantal lugs j* to engage with corresponding quadrantal lugs z" (see Fig. 16) formed by a groove and mutilated flange within the counter-bore c' in the breech-block. The placing of this scar-case at the back of the breechblock with the lugsj4 opposite the corresponding mutilations t2 in the groove of the counterbore t' permits thesaid lugs to enter the IOO IKO

groove in the latter and by giving the searcase a quarter turn when so entered, the lugs t7"* will be brought behind the corresponding lugs il in the counterbore and the case thereby secured in a position in which the scar is opposite the trigger I-l. If the case should not be turned to this position the trigger could not operate upon it when the breech is locked, as the lower end of the groove 7'5 in the seal' case is only just wide enough for the trigger to enter. In this position the scar-plate is Secured by the scar spring 7s which consists of a double or forked strip of steel, has its upper end tightly inserted into a hole 7a4 in the Sear-case and its lower end presses upon the bottom of the slot 7u in the scar, the greater part ot' its length being contained within a mortise 7a2 which runs through the breechblock from the back of the latter into one of the side cavities l formed in the latter by the mutilations of its screw-thread. 'lo insert the firing mechanism into the breech-block, the Sear is first placed in its platel J and the firing pin G, having its head detached, is inserted into the plate J and through the sear from the front of the said plate J which is then placed and secured in the breech as hereinbefore explained. The sea-r spring K is then inserted through the mortise 7.52ct thebreech-block from the rear thereof and through the slot k in the sear and into the holerfin thesear plate .l and it is retained in place by its lowerend projecting over the front of the mortise while at the same time, by its upper part fitting the mortise k2 laterally, it serves as a key to lock the Sear plate against turning in the breech-block and to secure the sear in the `only position l in which the trigger can act upon it. The head G' of the firing pin, having a ring for cocking it by hand and a downward projection l for cocking it automatically by the pin f' in the arm F of the operating lever, is put on the firing pin and secured thereto bya small transverse pin Z after all the other parts of the firing mechanism are in place.

The Sear-plate or case constructed with counterbored boss having a mutilated tlange and fitted to the breech-block as hereinabove described, provides for the easy insertion of the firing mechanism into the breech-block and also provides for a long or deep bearing for the main spring, the abutment for which is in the back of thecounterbore sin the boss of the plate.

The trigger H is arranged to work ou a pin m' in a mortise 'm (see Fig. 12) in the carrier C, the said pin m being screwed into the carrier from one side as indicated in Fig. 12 Where the said pin is shown in dotted outline. The trigger so applied projects down below the fulcrnm hub of the operating lever F F and is held forward against the carrier by the pressure of the sear spring on the sear, as may be understood by reference to Fig. 3, at all times but when pulled back for tiring; and

on that part of the back of the triggeropposite the fulcrum hub F2 of the operatin g lever Csi there is a projection m2. In the said fulcrum hub there is a notch m3 large enough to receive the said projection m2. This notch m3 is only opposite the projection m2 when the operating lever is in that position (shown in Fig. 3) which it is only in when the breech is closed and the breech-block locked ready for firing; and consequently it is only when the lever is in that position that the trigger can be pulled back to release the firing pin, the solid round portion of the hub being at all other times so close to the projection 'm2 that the trigger cannot be pulled back.

r1`he cartridge shell extractor consists of a slide L represented as having the form of a short tray fitted to guides in the lower part of the breech-block seat and having at its front end a grooved flange which conforms to the bore of the gun for the purpose of engaging with the edge of a cartridge shell therein. On the bottom of this tray L is a lug Z which enters a mortise Z2 provided in the lower part of the breech of the gun below the breechblock seat, the said mortise extending through the lug A and also receiving the short extractor operating lever N which works 011 a pin n inserted through the said lug A across the said mortise. The upper end of this extractor operating lever N enters a-hole Z3 in the bottom of the extractor and its lower end projects downward below the lug A of the breeclrblock to be acted upon through the movement of the carrier for the purpose of pulling back the extractor by means of a pin O which is arranged within the carrier between and within its lugs C. The lower part of the lever N on which the pin operates has a forward bend near the extremity so that the pin O has a cam-likeaction on it, the said pin acting first upon the lever near the extremity at the greatest distance from the fuleruni to produce a strong leverage for the purpose of starting the shell and'then coming nearer and nearer to the fulcrum and producing a gradually more rapid action until it jerks out the cartridge clear of all the breech mechanism. The extractor is returned into the gun by the act of inserting a new cartridge, the cartridge being placed with its flange behind the flange Z of the extractor.

Having described the construction and separate operations of the dierent parts of a gun embodying my invention I will now proceed to summarize brieiy the operations of the whole in proper order, first supposing the gun to have been fired and the parts left in the positions and conditions represented in full outline in Fig. 1 and in Figs. 2 and 3.

The several operations are all performed by pulling back the lever F F from the position in which it is shown in bold outline in Fig. 1 and in which it is also shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to the position in which it is shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1 and afterward returning it to the first mentioned position. The first part of the backward movement of the lever withdraws the extremity of the part e of the TOO IIO

arm F from the notch e in the carrier and by the continued movement of the said part of the lever in the slot d of the yoke B2 the breechblock is turned in the carrier far enough to unlock it from the mutilated screw-thread in the breech, and at the same time the pin f in the said arm F draws back the tiring pin to the position to be engaged by the sear and cocked. rlhe further continued movement of the lever after the parte comes to the rear end of the slot d withdraws the breecli-block back from the gun and at the same time draws back the carrier. This movement is intended to be performed very quickly and after the Carrier has been drawn back a certain distance it is caused by its own weight and that of the breech-block to fall down against the offset bearing Azof the breech, theposition then being that shown in dotted outlinein Fig. l and also shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the empty cartridge shell, if the gun had-been previously loaded, having been thrown out by the movement of the carrier. The breech-block now remains locked against turning in the carrier by the action 0f the sliding threaded bolt c hereinbefore described, until the breech is again closed by returning the lever F F to the p07 sition first described. During the [irst part of this return movement the arm F of the lever cannot turn the breech-block owing to being locked in the carrier and therefore the said arm by its pressure against one side of the slot d in the yoke B2 raises and throws forward the block and the carrier together until the carrier comes close up to the breech and so causes the bolt c to be pushed back as hereinbefore described and leave the block free to turn in the carrier after which the continued movement of the lever carries its arm F along the slot d and so produces the turning of the block in the carrier and the breech and its engagement with the breech in condition for firing. The part e of the arm F of the lever is now in the straight portion of the slot next the block and so positively locks the block against turning, and at the same time the arm is locked laterally against any tendency of the breech-block to turn by its extremity being received in the recess e in the breech. All is now ready for firing, which can only take place after the breech block has been securely locked as above described.

One very important feature of this invention is the screwing of the breech-block. into the carrier in such manner that it may turn freely thereinto permit it to turn in its seat in the breech of the gun, the screw-thread a on the block and the corresponding thread a in the carrier givinga larger bearing surface between the block and carrier. This larger bearing surface is especially advantageous in a rapid ire gun in which the breech-block carrier has a downward movement and in which the carrier is arrested against a bearing on the lower part of the breech as inthe quick manipulation of the breech mechanism this arrest must necessarily be attended with considerable jar. Moreover the screw attachment of the block to the carrier makes an extremely simple construction.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the gun and the breech-block fitted to turn and move lengthwise therein, of a carrier which is hinged to the breech of the gun and into which the breech-block is screwed to turn freely, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination with a gun having a mutilated screw-threaded breech-block seat, a carrier which has an internal screw-thread of a pitch corresponding with that of the thread in the bx'eech-block seat and which is hinged to the breech of the gun, and a breech-block having a serewthread of uniform pitch throughout corresponding with that of the thread in the breech-block seat and carrier, one portion of the length 0f said screw-thread on said block being mutilated to correspond with the mutilations of the thread in the breech-block seat and the other portion of the length of said screw-thread being fitted to turn within the screw-thread of the carrier, substantially as herein set forth.

'lhe combination with a breech-blockcarrier and a breech-block having a screwthreaded attachment to said carrier and having a, groove for a sliding bolt, of a springactuated slidingbolt arranged in said carrier and having in one face a screw-thread corresponding with the threads 0f the attachment between the carrier and the block, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination with the breech-block having a central cavity for a firing-pin and having a counterbore with a mutilated Hangs, of a Sear case having a hub with a mutilated flange to engage with the mutilated flange in the counterbore of the breech-block, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination of the breech-block co ntaining a central firing pin and counterbored centrally around said pin, a sear plate having an opening for said pin and having also a counterbored boss which enters the counterbore of the breech-block, and a spiral main spring contained partly within the breechblock and partly within the counterbore of the boss of the sear plate, substantially as herein set forth.

6. The combination with the breech-block having a central cavity for a ring pin and havnga counterbore with a mutilated dange, of a sear case consisting of a plate having a hub with a mutilated flange to engage with the mutilated flange in the counterbore of the breech-block, a scar within said plate, and a sear spring entering a hole in said plate and partly contained within a mortise in the breech-bloek wherein it serves as a key to lock the engagement of the mutilated fianges of the sear case with those of the block. substantially as herein set forth.

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7. The combination with the breech-blockcarrier and the breech-block arranged to turn therein, of a Sear oase fitted to the said block to be engaged therewith by turning therein, a sliding Sear in said oase, a trigger in said carrier, a sear spring entering said scar plate and partly contained in a mortise in said block, and a Sear spring engaging with said Sear plate and with the breech-block to lock the said oase to the breech in position to bring the Sear opposite the trigger when the block is turned in the carrier to thepositon for firing, substantially as herein set forth.

S. The combination with the tiring pin having a fiat head with a downward projection Z, a breech operating lever containing a guide f for the said fiat head, and a pin f inserted through said guidefto act upon said projection Z for cooking the pin and to serve as Stop to the tiring pin to prevent premature diszo charge, substantially as herein set forth.

SAMUEL SEABURY.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, F. Hon/ARD TITLAR. 

